Adherence to treatment for hypothyroidism in pregnancy and relationship with thyrotropin control: a retrospective observational cohort study

BACKGROUND: Hypothyroidism is the second most common endocrinological disease during pregnancy, with percentages that can range between 3.2 and 5.5%. A good maternal and foetal health outcome depends on thyroid hormone replacement therapy. The goal of such therapy is to maintain thyrotropin (TSH) in a range that is specific for pregnant women and varies between the trimesters of pregnancy. In our study, we wanted to analyse the adherence to hypothyroidism treatment among pregnant women and to evaluate the degree of control of the disease. METHODS: We performed a retrospective observational cohort study in pregnant women between 2012 and 2018 in the Lleida health region. Therapeutic adherence was analysed by the proportion of days covered (PDC). The relationship with other variables was assessed using the regression coefficients and their 95% confidence interval (CI). RESULTS: We examined a sample of 17,281 women, representing more than 92% of the pregnant women in the Lleida health region in the period analysed. Among this sample, the mean prevalence of hypothyroidism was 6.52% (0.07% clinical and 6.45% subclinical). 3.3% of the 17,281 pregnant women were treated. Among them, the mean adherence score was 79.6 ± 22.2. Of these, 54% presented high adherence. The latter had a higher mean age and better TSH control, in comparison to the ones showing low adherence. CONCLUSIONS: Half of the treated patients had good adherence to treatment and a better TSH control, in comparison to the others. Most of them achieved a good control at the third trimester of pregnancy. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12884-022-04483-8.